Whoa, no way! Is it possible? The comeback of the century?

"Where are we again? Just making sure I have it right."

"We're in Kanto right now," Red said, "This is where we'll begin your training, and we'll head back to Jiman in a month or if an emergency arises. After we return to Jiman, you will battle the next three gym leaders, then we'll return here. Now go back to sleep, we've got a few hours before the seagallop gets to our destination."

XxXxXxXxXx

Justin looked up at the towering figure before him. Spreading his wings longer than Justin's body, the Charizard looked down at him as hard as Justin looked up. Charizard was getting a first opinion of Justin, and he wasn't gonna mess up. Charizard snorted when he saw Blitz, walking away.

"Charizard, get back here!" Red yelled. Charizard just pointed at Blitz before pointing up. "What do you mean, you won't train him until he's evolved? You can't leave him waiting like that." Charizard walked back over, albeit begrudgingly, and ripped a massive chunk of rock out of the earth. He pointed at it and made a fist.

"Blitz, I think he wants you to break it. Flare Blitz with everything you've got!" Blitz coated himself in flame and crashed into the rock, breaking it slightly but not causing any big damage. Charizard shook his head and pulled another massive rock from the earth. "Okay, this time couple it with Dragon Dance and Outrage!"

Blitz's muscles expanded as he pumped himself up with Draconic Energy before he became shrouded in flame yet again, this time breaking the rock into four smaller pieces. He took a deep breath as he cut off Dragon Dance and Outrage. Charizard looked at Blitz approvingly before holding out a fist. Blitz watched as the fist became shrouded in fire, and Charizard effortlessly smashed the smaller rock to pieces.

"Fire punch is a good place for Blitz to start, for a few reasons. He already knows Flare Blitz, a more powerful attack, and I understand that," Red continued. "However, Flare Blitz can be very taxing and even hurt the user, so it should be used as a last resort. With Fire Punch, not only will Blitz not risk hurting himself, but he will also learn to focus his fire and control it better rather than spreading it across his entire body. Plus, considering he does know Flare Blitz, it should be easy, and accomplishing something fast is always good for morale."

Red then diverted his attention to the pair of Pikachu, whilst Justin explained to Blitz he'd be back at the end of the day. "Zeus is your Pikachu's name, right? He's already made a ton of progress, so I'll be teaching him something a bit different. Pikachu, Iron Tail." Red's pikachu, easily discernable from Justin's based on the sheer amount of battle scars it had, jumped up into the air. As it started falling, its tail began to glow and shine like steel, and Pikachu slammed the ground, creating a large cloud of dust and scattering rocks everywhere. "A bit out of the box, but I find Iron Tail to be very helpful in battles versus large opponents, or even when used midair. There are a few unorthodox methods to using this we can try once Zeus has mastered this in its entirety. Pikachu, continue to work with Zeus for the rest of the day." Pikachu shook its head, clearly joking, and Red raised an eyebrow. "Raul, what have I told you?" Pikachu stuck his tongue out at Red before beckoning Zeus toward a rock they could practice on.

"Raul? I'm more confused than anything else," Justin said.

"I showed Pikachu to my mother for the first time, and she suddenly started calling him Raul out of nowhere! I'm still confused as to why it happened, but he hates it when I call him Raul and it tends to get him to stop fooling around. Anyway, next up, if he would reveal himself to your Lapras, is the water pair. Lapras will be working on Surf with Greninja."

"Poseidon," Justin nodded as Greninja jumped out of the water. About his size, Greninja looked to be probably the most serious of Red's team. "Greninja, you should get started with an example. Use Surf on that rock!" Greninja proceeded to form a sphere of water in its hands before firing it as a blast at the rock. The rock was instantly annihilated.

"Poseidon will need to use his mouth for the move, but other than that it'll be smaller since he's not as experienced regardless. Next up, the Buddhas." They walked over to Menrality and… was that a Mienshao? Didn't see that coming.

"These two will probably be meditating together before they spar, so I'll save any actual move teaching for tomorrow. They do a lot better from meditating and coming to understand one another first. Now, Nightcrawler is a special case, and this works because you only have five Pokémon, so I can assign two teammates to one guy. He'll be working with Scizor there on how to control his Bug energies better, making scrambling the minds of psychics easier. They'll also be doing basic workouts. Gengar will be working on the poison aspect of Nightcrawler's battling, teaching him the best areas to strike for faster poison spread, and how to get more poison dripping from his spikes. Nightcrawler's got two mentors, so I won't be focusing on only one move quite yet. Now, Justin, if you'll come with me, I have another teammate for you to meet."

Justin was confused. "Can't you only have six Pokémon with you at a time?"

"Normally, yes," Red replied, "But, being the champion, the league has given me special privileges. Once you acquire more than six Pokémon, I'll grant you the same privilege, to make training easier. Now, listen to me, Justin. This is one of my only friends who only listens to me when he feels like it. He could kill both of us without even trying, so try to stay on his good side."

The two approached the Pokémon Red had been speaking of. Justin regarded it with awe. The grey and purple creature looked like a gigantic starved cat, save for the fact that it stood on two legs. Its tail ended in a sort of bulb shape. It had a huge aura of power emanating from it, and it stuck its three-fingered hand out at Justin, as if initiating a challenge.

What's with the boy, Red? Another one of your ravenous fans?

Red just laughed, but Justin stood in shock. "You," he said, "You're that voice from before, that accelerated Blitz's evolution! Now that I know you're allied with Red, I really want some answers! Why did you help me? Who are you?" Even as Justin both said and thought his last sentence, the Psychic answered. My name is Mewtwo, child. You will respect me, or I will annihilate you. I had a vision of you and Red fighting together, so I sought you out. I decided to help you to save your future. If your Charmander hadn't evolved into Charmeleon, you would've lost the battle against Jona, and your friend Azelf would have killed you. As such, I highly recommend you be grateful for my help instead of questioning it.

"Wait. Azelf? What are you talking about?" Red asked before turning to Justin. "Justin, you've met Azelf? Why didn't you tell me you've encountered a legend?"

"Azelf asked me not to tell anyone."

Actually, Justin, he has established a bond with Uxie. I remember him now, Azelf thought, He met Uxie around the same time you first met me, when Uxie traveled the world in search of someone with the wisdom of a true trainer. He's a good person, and since he bonded with Uxie, you'd better believe he's wise. Anyway, he's fine knowing the secret of our bond.

They spent the rest of the day discussing goals for the few months they'd be training together. "You should only need about three weeks to beat all of the gym leaders once we're done. I'm expecting great results from you, as one of my students. It's getting dark, though, so let's head back." Justin nodded and started walking back with Red. Once they arrived, Red called everyone over. "Okay, let's see if we've made any move progress. If you'll all do the honors."

Blitz was up first, and even as Charizard brought up a rock from the ground, Blitz smashed it to pieces. "Nice job, Blitz!" Justin yelled. They had to be far away, since the moves involved many rocks being pulled up from the ground then annihilated.

Next, Zeus took aim at the rock Charizard pulled up. He leaped into the air, and as he fell, his tail started to glow bright white and shine like steel. However, right before impacting the rock, the glow faded and Zeus hit the rock head-on. Justin ran over to Zeus as fast as he could. "Zeus!" He yelled.

He's fine, Justin. I broke his fall. Maybe jumping really high wasn't the best training decision.

Not the time, Azelf. Is he hurt?

No, he'll be fine.

Justin picked up Zeus carefully. "You okay, buddy?" Zeus nodded and looked away, appearing rather ashamed of itself. "Hey, there's nothing to worry about. Why didn't you tell us you couldn't do it? We would've-" Justin couldn't finish his sentence because Zeus started squeaking as loudly as he could over it.

Zeus is trying to tell you that he has done it before, but he can't jump high and do it like Red's Pikachu.

"Zeus, you should've done it the way you were comfortable with. Not everyone's battling styles are the same. It's perfectly fine that you use Iron Tail differently, and I'm sure you'll be able to use it from high up once you've gotten much better at it. Red did say it was a bit out of the box, so take it at your pace, okay?" Zeus was about to start complaining again, but a quick look from Justin put an end to that, and he begrudgingly nodded.

At least he's okay. That's what really matters. "Poseidon, you're up next. Use surf on the rock!" Poseidon formed a blue ball in its mouth before blasting the rock with water, breaking it into pieces.

"Zeus, Iron Tail!" Zeus just looked at Justin like he was crazy. "Do it without jumping so high this time. You said you can do it that way, right?" Zeus nodded before jumping a much smaller height. His tail began to glow and shine like steel, and he slammed the ground as hard as he could. A cloud of dust kicked up which left Justin coughing hard. He spoke through it though. "Nice job, pal!" he barely managed to yell out.

"Scizor and Gengar reported nothing but good things about Nightcrawler. Mienshao said good things about the concentration Mentality exhibits. I'd say your team passes for today. But they'll only get pushed harder. Now then, I'd say everyone deserves a rest. They'll need it for the morning." With that, Justin and his team found comfortable positions around the campfire and went to sleep.

XxXxXxXxXx

Justin was awoken with a start by a jolt of electricity. "Hey, knock it off, Zeus," he grumbled as he tried to go back to sleep.

"Justin, get up!" That wasn't Zeus. Justin immediately sat up to see Red frantically speaking to someone over his Pokenav. "I'm aware of that, and we're on our way now. Just keep calm. It's going to be fine," he finished before hanging up and turning to Justin. "Remember those emergencies I was saying would be the only thing interrupting training?"

"This is one of them," Justin replied.

"Yes. Team Hurricane has attacked again and they need backup. Get everyone back in their Pokeballs and come with me."

"If it's really an emergency, there's no way we'll be able to get there fast enough with a six hour boat ride."

"I have a plan, relax." With that the two of them walked towards the small cave Mewtwo called home. "Mewtwo," Red both spoke and thought, "Can you please teleport us to the Glazeburn city museum?"

Glazeburn museum? First a science lab, now a museum. They must have some kind of obsession with ancient history. Plus, Glazeburn again? Seems kind of peculiar.

Why not, Mewtwo replied, I could use the entertainment. Justin blinked to find himself on a battleground. Team Hurricane were bombarding the police force with everything they had. "Justin, take Blitz and Zeus and help the police force fight. In the meantime, I'll flank them. Also, take this," Red said as he pulled a small badge out of his pocket, "This should show those police officers that you're on their side and here to help." Justin nodded. It was a logical plan. He ran past the police barricade and released Blitz and Zeus.

"Okay guys, here's the plan. Zeus, you're on hit scan. Take out any fliers you see. Blitz, you're on crowd control. Keep blasting those flamethrowers at them and make sure the police meets with as little resistance as possible. Got it?" Blitz and Zeus nodded before turning around and beginning their attack.

"Justin? I thought you'd left by now." Justin turned around to see Dante, still wearing a lab coat.

"So did I, but when this happened, I came back to help."

"I'm glad you did. I have something I want to give you, as thanks for all your help against Team Hurricane." He handed Justin a small bottle. "In here are four pills that we'd just finished before Team Hurricane attacked. Two of them have insane healing capabilities, able to heal the worst of wounds and illnesses in both trainers and Pokémon. The other two are super-stimulants of a kind, able to give anyone nearly infinite energy and increase their physical attributes for a time. This is a small gift in comparison to what you've done for us, but I hope you'll accept it. I would advise you to only use these in the worst of situations, as you've only got two of each. It's all I could squeeze past my job's security."

"This is incredible. I don't know what to say," Justin said as he looked at the bottle in awe before nodding, "I won't waste them, I promise."

Justin thanked Dante again before refocusing on the battle. Blitz and Zeus had done their jobs well. All of the grunts were in police custody. Just as he was about to thank and recall them, a new arrival showed up. His brown hair waved in the sea air practically undeterred, looking rather majestic as it streamed halfway down his back. But nothing got to Justin's head in that moment as much as his smile. It was positively psychotic as he walked slowly towards Justin. "So I see you're just as stubborn as everyone else your age. I thought I'd warned you about messing with my affairs. Now I have to destroy you." He held up a Pokeball.

"Blitz, I'm gonna lead off with Zeus here, so I'm recalling you now, okay?" Blitz nodded as he was sucked into the Pokeball. Justin could feel his heart pounding. I have to admit, I'm scared. I don't know if I can beat this guy.

I'm sure he's only all talk, based on the arrogance of his underlings.

True, but he's no underling. Justin and Zeus nodded at each other as Andre released his first Pokémon, a Nidorina. Her red eyes seemed to look at Justin with more malice than he thought possible, and Justin prepped himself for a tough fight.

"Thunderbolt!" He yelled. Immediately, Zeus blasted Nidorina with electricity, which made her recoil slightly, but didn't deal any significant damage.

"Poison Tail," Andre commanded. Almost immediately, Nidorina Lunged at Zeus with a tail coated in Poison.

"Iron Tail! Tie it!" Zeus jumped at Nidorina, and he slammed into Nidorina's poison tail with his own glowing Iron Tail. The pair both recoiled, and it seemed like Zeus had the upper hand.

"Quick attack into Iron Tail!"

"Double Kick!"

The two attacks were ordered at the same time, and while Zeus had the speed advantage, Nidorina timed her kicks better, so Zeus was sent flying at least 30 feet into the air.

"Nidorina, Take Down! Send his Pikachu packing!" Even as Nidorina charged forward, Justin knew he had to think of something. There's only one thing I could try. I know you can do this Zeus. "Iron Tail! Use your fall!" As Zeus looked at Justin like he was crazy for the second time in the past twelve hours, Justin just nodded. Zeus nodded back before his tail began to glow, and in just a few second the pair met on the floor. Zeus slammed his Iron Tail just as Nidorina completed her charge, creating a massive smoke cloud. In a few seconds, the cloud cleared to reveal an unconscious Nidorina and a hurt Zeus.

Justin was ecstatic, not just because he'd won, but because Zeus used Iron Tail from that height. "I knew you could do it buddy!" Zeus turned around and nodded at Justin before passing out. You did wonderful, buddy. You deserve the rest, Justin thought as he recalled Zeus. It's now or never, Blitz. Let's do this!

Justin released Blitz as Andre released his next pokemon. The insect had Yellow and Black stripes all over its body, and the two stingers on its hands shone as light reflected off of them. The Beedrill jabbed the air in front of it, clearly issuing a challenge to Blitz. Blitz roared in return, baring his claws.

"I must say that you intrigue me, young boy. Not many can earn the respect of a Charmeleon. As a reward for coming this far, allow me to show you the greatest power before you die." With that, he pulled out something from his pocket. Justin could swear it was a rock, but it couldn't be any ordinary stone. He didn't know of any evolutionary stones that came in small circles anyway, so he had no idea what it was.

As he looked upon the stone, it seemed to form a link between Andre and Beedrill. "Great stone from the heavens, bestow upon me and the savage hunter of the forest your power! Mega Evolution!"

Mega Evolution? What the heck is that? And what's with the weird chant? Justin watched in awe as the power completely changed Beedrill. He grew in size before completely losing his legs and trading them for stingers. His arms also retracted into his body somewhat, giving him an overall more sleek appearance. Beedrill appeared before Justin in its new form, and Justin was extremely frightened. I have absolutely no idea how to fight this thing. "Cross Poison," Andre called as he walked away, and as all four of Beedrill's stingers became coated in poison, it charged towards Blitz at blinding speed and smashed right into him. As Blitz fell unconscious, he flew towards Justin, who was hit head-on by his body. The last thing Justin heard before passing out was a voice yell "Fire Blast!"